Robber exterminator



Patented July 8, 1924.

UNITED STATES SAMUEL n. Goswicx, or MINERAL WELLS, TEXAS.'

ROBBEB EXTERMINATOR.

"application filed' A ugust'm, 1923. kserial No. 657,463.

To @ZZ whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, SAMUEL D. GoswIoK, a citizen of the United States, Vresiding at ltineral Wells, in thecounty of- Palo Pinto and State of Texas, have invented certain newand useful Improvements in 'Robber Exterminators, of which the following is 'a specification. Y

`This invention relates to vdevices which are designed to protect banks and mail trains or the like against robbery, andfwherein means is provided for electrocuting the robbers,so that the invention is herein termed a robber exterminat'or.

The primary object of the invention is to provide a device of the above kind which VVwill be extremely efficient in operation, that can be'cheaply and easily installed upon 'eX- is'ting mail trains or cars or in banks, and which will not be objectionable in appearance when installed. K

AOther objects will appear as `the nature of the invention is betterunderstood, and the same consists in the novel'form, combination and arrangement of partshereinafter more fully' described, shown'in'the accom-V panying drawings and claimed. l

`In the drawings, wherein like reference characters throughout the several views',

Figure l i a somewhat diagrammatic Yplan view illustrating the' invention' applied to a bank,

' Figure 2 is an enlarged vertical sectionalV view""showing details of L the invention and` .taken Vupon line 2 2 ofFigure 1,

' Figure 3 is a cross sectional .view of they orni'of conductor blocks employed in the-,j

',device'shown in Figure 1,

Figure 4 is Aavievv partly in side elevation and partly in vertical section showing the invention applied to a mail car, and, Fi 4 tionemployed in the device `shown in Figure 4.

indicates a conventional form of bank building having a main entrance as at 6 adjacent to which, at one side of the building, is proindica-te corresponding parts,

re 5 is a fragmentary sectional viewk showing details ofthe hand rail construc- V vided the usualbooth orenclosures 7 and 8 wherein business is generally transacted the higher ofiicers of kthe bank.. The bank .also includes a central series of compartments 9 for-.the different tellers lof the bank which booths are placed between theenclosures 7 and 8 and a safe or vault 10.

The enclosuresY 7 and 8 are generally formed by relativelyv low p artitions or fences 11 which are provided with swinging gates orf'doors 12 through which the persons may pass for entering either of these clo- Y sures 7 orrS or for passing from one to the other and for passing from the enclosure 8 to' the hallway or portion of the olice 13 which is located nearv the teller' both 9 and which leads to the entrancel of the vault 10.

In accordance with the present invention, the doors or gates 12 as well as the door 111' for the entrance to the vaultl() are madeof suitablemetal which will act as conductors for electricity, the door 14 being attached tov 'metallic railsl Iprovided around the interior of the vault 10..

Arranged at Some suitable point within the/vault 10 isa step up electrical transformer `16thesecondary wires of which are y respectively attached to therail 15 andrelectricalcon'ducting mats 17 disposed upon the Qor ofy the vault 'TheseVr mats 17 are' electrically connected lasat 18 with a further mat Y19`that is placed. upon the floor of the i bank outside of the vault 10 and aboutthe `latter as clearly shown in Figure 1.

The

mat 19 yis in turn electrically connected'as at 20 with a further mat 21 that is disposed in front'o'f the enclosures for compartments 7'and 8, and these mats are preferably constructed asshownin Figure '3 of wire mesh having their edges bound as at 22.

VvThe :railing 15is in electrical connection with theV door-14 and with a screen cage 23- .that is placed about-the vault 10,- and an electrical connection is provided as at 24 -between the cage 23 and conducting rails 25 that are disposed on top of the upper edges of thefence's 11. The rails 25 are preferably of Ychannel form as shown in Figure 2 so as to it upo'ntheifences 11 and have a neat appearance, and the doors or gates 12 are electrically'connected to these rails 25 by suitable connections through the hinges of said gates.

Current is supplied from any suitable source through a wire 26 to one side of the primary ofthe transformer 16, and a wire 27 extends from the other side of said primary to a main or master switch 28 that is preferably located in the front enclosure 7. The other side of the line is provided by means of the wire 29 which connects the other side of the switch 28, and it will thus be apparent that when the switch 28 is closed, the high tension current will be supplied to the doors or gates, the mats, rails and screens so that when a person bridges certain of these elements the current will How through his body and electrocute him. For instance, a person standing upon the mat 21 and touching the gate 12 of either compartment or touching the rail 25 thereof will complete the circuit by the passage of the currentthrough his body. 1n a like manner, the person standing upon the mat 19 or 17 and touching the door 14, cage 23 or railing 15, will be subjected to the high tension current for a similar result.

In order that the primary circuit may be completed by any one of the tellers, the line wires 27 and 29 are provided with sub-switches 30 that are arranged in parallel across the primary circuit as clearly shown in Figure 1, one switch 30 being provided in each of the booths 9 so as to be capable of use irrespective of the position of the switch 28.

Referring to the form of the invention shown in Figures 4 and 5, the body of a mail car is usually provided with front doqors 5 and 6 and side doors 7, and a threshhold or platform 8 is provided outiside of each of the doors 5 and 6 through which one may gain access to the car and ordinary metallic steps indicated at 9 permit access through the doors 7.

1n accordance with the present invention a metallic conducting plate 1 0 is placed upon or embedded in the upper surface of each of the platforms 8 at the threshhold of each door, and all of these plates as well yas the steps 9 are electrically connected to one side 11 of the secondary of a stepup electrically transformer 12. Fon assisting the persons in mounting the steps 9', hand rails are usually provided in a vertical position at each side of the door openings at the sides of the car, and in the present instance these rails are indicated at 13 and constructed of suitable conducting metal, the ends of which are engaged by binding posts'or bolts 14 which pass through the sides of the car for securing the rails rigidly in place. The binding ports 14 besides forming attaching means for the hand ralls 1.3 also provide means for electrically connecting wires 15 thereto, which wires branch from a main wire 16 that connects with the door knobs 17 of the front and rear doors 5 and 6. For obvious reasons, the wires 16 are connected to the outer members of the door knobs 17 and the latter are of conducting material while the inner members of said knobs 17 are of insulatingmaterial as clearly shown in Figure 4. The lower end of one of the hand rails 13 is electrically connected as at 18 with the other side of the secondary of the transformer 12, and the latter may be suitably mounted in a casing 19 xed beneath the floor of the car as shown.

One side of the primary of the transformer 12 is connected with a suitable source .of electricity by means of a wire 20, and

this source of electricity may consist ofa ,5

storage battery 21 also mounted withinthe casing 19 and having its other terminal connected by a wire 22 and a mainrwirej23 with one side of each of the switches 24 that are arranged within the car adjacent the doors 5 and 6. The other side of each of the switches 24 is connected with the other side of the primary ofthe transformer 12 by means of a branch wire 25.`

vIt will thusl be seen that when either` or both of the switches 24 are closed by an attendant within the car, the current it allowed to flow through the primary circuit and cause a, high tension currenty inthe secondary circuit to pass tov the platevv 10,

hand rails 13 and door'knobs 17. The current will also flow to the steps 9 through the wires 26. Y Thus, if one should attempt to rob the train, by forcing an entrance thereto, he will be immediately electrocuted by the high tension current when standing upon the steps 9 orrplates 10 and at the same time graspingl any o-f the hand rails.`

13 or knobs 17. j

1t will thus be seen that the vinvention broadly involves floor mats or platesV and closure members such as doors or gates, respectively electrically connected to opposite sides of the secondary `of a step-up transformer, andV relatively arrangedjso that the samewill be naturally bridgedby the person attempting to open the closure or gate, means being provided under manual control of the primary circuit of the transformer for rendering the secondary circuit. live-or dead at will. Y

1n this manner, the attendants 'are not subjected to danger ofhandling the high tension wires, and :the switches maytherefore be of any well known or conventional type which are utilized for control of low voltage currents.

Minor changes may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as claimed. Y t

What 1 claim as new is 1n combination with an enclosure having a hand rail and provided With a metallic controlled switches Within the enclosure for threshhold plate, said hand rail being a conclosing the primary circuit of the transductor of electricity, a transformer having former at any desired Yone of a plurality 10 its secondary respectively connected at op.- of points Within the enclosure.

5 posite sides with the hand rail and'thresh- In testimony Whereoi:l I aix my signahold plate, a primary circuit including the ture. primary of said transformer, and manually l SAMUEL D. GOSWICK. 

